Napier digs deep in the Art of Deco
23 Feb 2009
Napier - New Zealand’s Art Deco capital - turned back the clocks for last weekend's Art Deco celebration (19 -22 February).
About 25,000 people dressed in their deco finest for the 21st birthday of the event that is held annually on the third weekend of February.
Organisers said that numbers appeared to be on a par with the 2008 weekend - the biggest to date - and that each year more and more people got into the spirit in their art deco attire.
Wellington visitors Christine Riggs and Colin Parker, attending their seventh Art Deco weekend, said: "We just love it, the dressing up, the atmosphere and the way people get behind it."
Vintage cars and planes, themed picnics and concerts, parades, music and dancing in the streets, food and wine were part of more than 100 events that immersed Napier in a jolly 1930s atmosphere.
1931 Napier earthquake
Napier’s Art Deco origins go back to a devastating 7.8 (Richter scale) earthquake on 3 February 1931 that caused geographic upheaval and widespread damage throughout the Hawke's Bay region.
Most of the buildings in the coastal city were flattened, either by the earthquake or the ensuing fires. The town’s water supply had been cut during the quake so there was nothing to fight the fires that ravaged the streets.
However, remarkable community spirit prevailed and the town was almost completely rebuilt in two years.
Art Deco
The style that predominated was Art Deco. It was not only popular at the time but provided strong reinforced concrete with decoration that would not fall off and injure people as had happened with the Edwardian-style pre-earthquake buildings.
The Art Deco Trust was formed in 1985 to preserve and promote what is now recognised as a world-class collection of Art Deco architecture. The Art Deco Weekend is one way that the Trust brings the Art Deco era to life in a huge community celebration.
21st celebration
As well as the event's 21st birthday, 2009 marked the 100th birthday of the car that brought motoring to the masses - the Model T Ford.
Special guests included 20 people who attended the first Art Deco weekend in 1988, and a group of Model T Fords that lead the vintage car parade on Saturday. The cars were on display for the week at a "T-party" on Marine Parade.
More information:
Napier - Art Deco capital
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